The Official UKFF RAW thread (part 2)...

[Kfogg1991]

Oh my god why would you suggest that outcome. Doing that would IMO be the worst finish of them all. The eyes and love are all on Roman and punk Rollins is part cos he needs something to do pretty much.

Don't end with that God please 

[Supremo]

A depressing opener. Last week, it felt like the Night One Mania Main Event was still in flux, and it was super exciting watching the meta battle for that spot playing out on-screen. Punk delivered his best promo in forever to open the show, but then Jey Uso cut an equally amazing promo backstage later on. Pure fire and passion. It felt like both guys were trying to out-perform the other and seal their match as the most important. Everything was to play for.

There was none of that this week. Jey, feeling like a defeated man, spent the entirety of the show slumming it with jobbers like Otis and A-Town Down Under. A decision has clearly been made. Probably the moment Roman got to the building. “Main Event Jey Uso? Not this year, cuz. Opener Jey Uso.”

Within the fiction, I think this was the show where you could really see the damage being caused by having all these multi-person matches booked for Wrestlemania. It’s not just shit from a marquee standpoint. It actively undermines the narrative, too. In this essay I will attempt to explain….

Suddenly, Rhea Ripley went from being an unstoppable bad ass, to being a crybaby loser. You allowed yourself to get distracted, arrogantly shouting, “see you at Wrestlemania,” to Bianca, then you lost fair and square to Iyo, so what the fuck are you complaining about? Jog on. Face Dirty Dom. It’s a better match, anyway. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were trying to turn Rhea heel here!

Similarly, what was the point of the last three months of CM Punk’s arc, if he just gets the Mania Main Event, anyway? Fought and lost for that opportunity at The Rumble, then again at Elimination Chamber. The entire crux of his feud with Rollins has been Seth costing him that elusive goal, and now he just gets it regardless? Maybe I need to wait and see, but I’m becoming more and more convinced that they’ll just use the, “Paul Heyman Favour,” to explain it away. Super unsatisfying, whilst also making everyone look stupid. Jey in particular looks like a goof for even bothering. Why even try to win the Rumble or the Chamber? Just pick a fight with Roman four weeks out to lock in the Mania main event. Tell him he doesn’t deserve an Emmy and that thing where he chews oxygen is nowhere near as cool as he thinks it is.

Other thoughts…

Funny when Logan Paul said, “I don’t associate with people like AJ Styles.” I bet you absolutely fucking do, mate. In fact, half the reason I reckon Styles vs. Logan is happening at Wrestlemania is because they’re such good mates backstage. They one hundred percent have a MAGA WhatsApp group chat with Pat McAfee, constantly sharing links to conspiracy theory videos on YouTube.

Hated that the whole Chad Gable storyline simply led to him wearing a Lucha mask, but then they did that silly backstage skit with a body double and I was fully back in. Love stupid stuff like this.

Punk vs. Seth was certainly better than their Netflix match, but they still appear to have wonky, anti-chemistry. I never normally notice how bad Punk’s punches are, but it always stands out when he’s trading with Rollins. Maybe because he’s desperate to chin him for real. Genuinely funny when Michael Cole mentioned Freddie Roach being in attendance, wondering what he’d think of them trading punches. He’d probably laugh his arse off, Cole.

Pat McAfee describing what was essentially a normal SuperPlex as, “off the top of the cage,” would have been funny at the best of times. Coming twenty four hours after Will Ospreay’s Spanish Fly? Incredible.

Hot closing angle. The, “escape the cage,” rule is still the dumbest thing in the world, even worse when they do technicality booking around it, but they’ve at least developed the story enough now, to where I want to see these three guys fight. Would still much prefer any combination in a singles though. Then. Now. Forever.

Great promo from Cody, but absolutely wild hearing the return of the, “Let’s Go Cena!” ”Cena sucks!” duelling chants. Feels like we haven’t heard them in years. What a fucking trip that the fans finally stopped doing that once Cena became part-time, he was finally accepted as a  universally-loved legend, and now that he’s turned heel they’re back chanting it in full force. Crazy though. Never thought I’d watch this shit long enough that the, “Let’s Go Cena!” chants were coming from the deeper-voiced men, whereas the, “Cena sucks!” chants were coming from the women and kids. You either quit watching WWE when it’s shit, or you watch it long enough for the entire fucking dimension to turn upside down.

Cannot wait for next week. That’s got to be one of the most anticipated promos of all time. However, I’m dreading Cena just going, “you don’t deserve an explanation!” The amount of ammo and material at his disposal, I need him to go full scorched Earth. Twenty years of making sick kids happy and you still booed me. Fuck the lot of you!

That’s what excites me the most about this Cena run. The last few years we’ve seen WWE majestically tie all these threads and loose ends together, playing with twenty years of history and pretending it was a cleverly-plotted narrative rather than a bunch of nonsensical rubbish coming from an old idiot with mashed potato and ketchup for brains. The amount of clever ways they could play with Cena’s career, the callbacks they could use. The possibilities are endless!

Beats Cody for the belt at Mania. Defends against Punk at Money in the Bank, with Cena winning, blowing a kiss and escaping through the crowd. And then at Summerslam, when it feels like all is lost, with Cena and The Rock running roughshod. It’s time to right that ultimate wrong. Make that call. Bring in THE LADS.

Edited March 11, 2025 by Supremo

[Hannibal Scorch]

1 minute ago, Supremo said:

A depressing opener. Last week, it felt like the Night One Mania Main Event was still in flux, and it was super exciting watching the meta battle for that spot playing out on-screen. Punk delivered his best promo in forever to open the show, but then Jey Uso cut an equally amazing promo backstage later on. Pure fire and passion. It felt like both guys were trying to out-perform the other and seal their match as the most important. Everything was to play for.

There was none of that this week. Jey, feeling like a defeated man, spent the entirety of the show slumming it with jobbers like Otis and A-Town Down Under. A decision has clearly been made. Probably the moment Roman got to the building. “Main Event Jey Uso? Not this year, cuz. Opener Jey Uso.”

Within the fiction, I think this was the show where you could really see the damage being caused by having all these multi-person matches booked for Wrestlemania. It’s not just shit from a marquee standpoint. It actively undermines the narrative, too. In this essay I will attempt to explain….

Suddenly, Rhea Ripley went from being an unstoppable bad ass, to being a crybaby loser. You allowed yourself to get distracted, arrogantly shouting, “see you at Wrestlemania,” to Bianca, then you lost fair and square to Iyo, so what the fuck are you complaining about? Jog on. Face Dirty Dom. It’s a better match, anyway. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were trying to turn Rhea heel here!

Similarly, what was the fucking point of the last three months of CM Punk’s arc, if he just gets the Mania Main Event, anyway? Fought and lost for that opportunity at The Rumble, then again at Elimination Chamber. The entire crux of his feud with Rollins has been Seth costing him that elusive goal, and now he just gets it anyway? Maybe I need to wait and see, but I’m becoming more and more convinced that they’ll just use the, “Paul Heyman Favour,” to explain it away. Super unsatisfying, whilst also making everyone look stupid. Jey in particular looks like a goof for even bothering. Why even try to win the Rumble or the Chamber? Just pick a fight with Roman four weeks out to lock in the Mania main event. Tell him he doesn’t deserve an Emmy and that thing where he chews oxygen is nowhere near as cool as he thinks it is.

Other thoughts..

Funny when Logan Paul said, “I don’t associate with people like AJ Styles.” I bet you absolutely fucking do, mate. In fact, half the reason I reckon Styles vs. Logan is happening at Wrestlemania is because they’re such good mates backstage. They one hundred percent have a MAGA WhatsApp group chat with Pat McAfee, constantly sharing links to conspiracy theory videos on YouTube.

Hated that the whole Chad Gable storyline simply led to him wearing a Lucha mask, but then they did that silly backstage skit with a body double and I was fully back in. Love stupid stuff like this.

Punk vs. Seth was certainly better than their Netflix match, but they still appear to have wonky, anti-chemistry. I never normally notice how bad Punk’s punches are, but it always stands out when he’s trading with Rollins. Genuinely funny when Michael Cole mentioned Freddie Roach being in attendance, wondering what he’d think of them trading punches. He’d probably laugh his arse off, Cole.

Pat McAfee describing what was essentially a normal SuperPlex as, “off the top of the cage,” would have been funny at the best of times. Coming twenty four hours after Will Ospreay’s Spanish Fly? Incredible.

Hot closing angle. The, “escape the cage,” rule is still the dumbest thing in the world, but they’ve at least developed the story enough now, to where I want to see these three guys fight. Would still much prefer any combination in a singles though. Then. Now. Forever.

Great promo from Cody, but absolutely wild hearing the return of the, “Let’s Go Cena!” ”Cena sucks!” duelling chants. Feels like we haven’t heard them in years. What a fucking trip that the fans finally stopped doing that once Cena became part-time, he was finally accepted as a  universally-loved legend, and now that he’s turned heel they’re back chanting it in full force. Crazy though. Never thought I’d watch this shit long enough that the, “Let’s Go Cena!” chants were coming from the deeper-voiced men, whereas the, “Cena sucks!” chants were coming from the women and kids. You either quit watching WWE when it’s shit, or you watch it long enough for the entire fucking dimension to turn upside down.

Cannot wait for next week. That’s got to be one of the most anticipated promos of all time. However, I’m dreading Cena just going, “you don’t deserve an explanation!” The amount of ammo and material at his disposal, I need him to go full scorched Earth. Twenty years of making sick kids happy and you still booed me. Fuck the lot of you!

That’s what excites me the most about this Cena run. The last few years we’ve seen WWE majestically tie all these threads and loose ends together, playing with twenty years of history and pretending it was a cleverly-plotted narrative rather than a bunch of nonsensical rubbish coming from an old idiot with mashed potato and ketchup for brains. The amount of clever ways they could play with Cena’s career, the callbacks they could use. The possibilities are endless!

Beats Cody for the belt at Mania. Defends against Punk at Money in the Bank, with Cena winning, blowing a kiss and escaping through the crowd. And then Summerslam, when it feels like all is lost, with Cena and The Rock running roughshod. It’s time to right that ultimate wrong. Make that call. Bring in THE LADS.

 

 

I shared an almost identical view with you on the show. AEW Revolution kicked off with MJF and Hanger in a fantastic story driven match. Raw in their spiritual home of MSG with 18(19 and 20)k+ people depending on who was talking when and they kick off with Jey vs Waller. Ugh.

However in other Raw news Tommy Dreamer called Punk/Rollins the best cage match of all time today. I’d argue it wasn’t even the best in the previous 24 hours!

But hot crowds are back next week, and live on Netflix so we can all watch Raw and go to bed before 10pm. Finally a way we can feel what Americans feel without thankfully being in America!

[SuperBacon]

Roman Reigns really is the best isn't he? 

Absolutely thrilling to hear that noise from the crowd bubble through as he was moving through the crowd. A megastar. 

Rollins is dreadful, but I have faith that Punk and Roman can make this all work. Cracking match.

[kidzero]

Is WWE working for you guys on Netflix I can't access it since late this afternoon.. trouble accessing ...comes up.

[FUM]

17 hours ago, Supremo said:

Jey in particular looks like a goof for even bothering. Why even try to win the Rumble or the Chamber? Just pick a fight with Roman four weeks out to lock in the Mania main event.

Totally disagree on the even bothering part. The purpose to win those is to get a shot at the championship. The main event they go on about is just the added bonus. He’s getting a shot at the title, that’s all he cares about - Jey, specifically, has main evented it already anyway.

Plus they’ll just do what they did at SummerSlam and call 6 matches the main event to combat it.

[Carbomb]

That highlights an interesting point: WWE have placed such an emphasis on the Rumble being a No.1 contender's match, they no longer push it as a big deal to be won in itself. In a way, it also highlights what a good idea it was not to make winning King of the Ring an automatic title shot - it became an accolade in its own right.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

Special Main Event Jey Uso has a ring to it, certainly much better than Kiss Demon Main Event Jey Uso which is what he and everyone not in the actual Main Event will become. 

[air_raid]

1 hour ago, FUM said:

Totally disagree on the even bothering part. The purpose to win those is to get a shot at the championship. The main event they go on about is just the added bonus. He’s getting a shot at the title, that’s all he cares about - Jey, specifically, has main evented it already anyway.

Historically I wouldn't have disagreed with the first point but they've done so much since Mania 36 to restore the prestige of "You win the Rumble, you go on last at Mania" that it's heartbreaking to piss it away now. Especially if you want to argue that night 1 last match can also be "the main event" .. which personally I don't.

To the second point... if you want to argue that night 1 last match can also be "the main event" .. which personally I don't. Usos vs Kev & Sami just simply doesn't exist as "a WrestleMania main event" to me in the same way that a Boneyard match or Sasha Banks defence doesn't, but Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant, The Rock vs Steve Austin and Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes do.

36 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

That highlights an interesting point: WWE have placed such an emphasis on the Rumble being a No.1 contender's match, they no longer push it as a big deal to be won in itself. In a way, it also highlights what a good idea it was not to make winning King of the Ring an automatic title shot - it became an accolade in its own right.

There's no coincidence that Lesnar winning it and getting the SummerSlam title shot was the last time it was a PPV in its own right and last time for a few years they bothered doing it. If your prize is a title shot, then you're not really fighting to be "King" as you point out.

I do think they have restored the Rumble a bit, making a point between last years and Mania 40 of Cody being introduced as winner of both 2023 and 2024. But to be honest, 1992 killed it for just being a match people want to win because it looks good on the CV. You do that match, you can't possibly expect the lads to go out there and do it just for having their hand raised, ever again. It wouldn't be fair to Flair.

[Daaaaaad!]

4 minutes ago, air_raid said:

Historically I wouldn't have disagreed with the first point but they've done so much since Mania 36 to restore the prestige of "You win the Rumble, you go on last at Mania" that it's heartbreaking to piss it away now. Especially if you want to argue that night 1 last match can also be "the main event" .. which personally I don't.

I would say there’s argument to be made that they already did this damage by allowing KO/Sami vs. the Usos to main event WM39 N1 instead of Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair. In terms of angle and anticipation it absolutely was the right call, but it does also make it seem like the women’s Rumble winner is significantly less important than the men’s winner. It’s still the winner of the Rumble not getting a proper main event.

[FUM]

46 minutes ago, air_raid said:

To the second point... if you want to argue that night 1 last match can also be "the main event" .. which personally I don't. Usos vs Kev & Sami just simply doesn't exist as "a WrestleMania main event" to me in the same way that a Boneyard match or Sasha Banks defence doesn't, but Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant, The Rock vs Steve Austin and Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes do.

That’s to you though. They are acknowledged by WWE and most importantly, themselves, as having main evented WrestleMania. KO even claims to have done it twice.

[WyattSheepMask]

1 hour ago, air_raid said:

 

To the second point... if you want to argue that night 1 last match can also be "the main event" .. which personally I don't. Usos vs Kev & Sami just simply doesn't exist as "a WrestleMania main event" to me in the same way that a Boneyard match or Sasha Banks defence doesn't, but Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant, The Rock vs Steve Austin and Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes do.

 

Someone need to tell her that, it’s been ages since we’ve seen her “I’m losing tonight” face

[Supremo]

Normally I wouldn’t be arsed. It’s just another example of WWE wanting to have their cake and eating it. It’s the same company that has a, “World Chanpion,” and an, “Undisputed WWE Champion,” after all. This is what they do. Half the time the important Wrestlemania match is the Title match, the other half it’s the match that closes the show. Whichever suits them at the time.

The problem is that they’ve done three month’s worth of storyline about Punk earning a title shot to guarantee himself the, “Mania main event.” And despite failing at every turn, he’s probably just going to get it anyway because Jey Uso hangs around with the Job Squad.

Maybe they’ll surprise me. Maybe Jey and Gunther will close the show. Or maybe they’ve got an amazing idea to explain within the fiction why Seth, Roman and Punk will go on last. This is the same company in that managed to write themselves out of the People’s K-Hole two years in a row, so who knows. Nothing springs to mind as to how they explain it though. What’s more important than the belt? Maybe the winner gets an Emmy?

Edited March 12, 2025 by Supremo

[d-d-d-dAz]

CM Punk's favour is to get put into the title match to make it a triple threat with Jey and Gunther, which he wins to take the title into a triple threat with Roman and Seth; which itself goes on directly after the women's title triple threat.

A triple threat of triple threats.

Edited March 12, 2025 by d-d-d-dAz

[SwayWays]

I miss the RAW intros, admittedly I've not caught the last couple, are they still doing them without one?